1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adjustable supporting bracket for a motorcycle driver backrest, and in particular, to such a bracket that may be adjusted without the use of tools.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
The Utopia Built-In Driver Backrest (made by Utopia Products, Inc., www.utpr.com) is an aftermarket product designed to be installed on a stock motorcycle seat. Variations of the Utopia Built-In Driver Backrest allow it to be mounted to various commonly available models of motorcycles. The Utopia Built-In Driver Backrest typically comprises the backrest pad, a bar supporting the backrest pad and pivotally attached to the backrest pad by means of a transverse tube at the top of the bar, and seat mounting hardware to mount the backrest to the seat base of the various motorcycle models. The seat mounting hardware attaches to the seat base, which typically is made of metal, fiberglass or polyethylene and therefore provides a sturdy point of attachment to the motorcycle seat. The seat mounting hardware includes a transverse tube protruding above the upper surface of the seat to allow the bar supporting the backrest pad to be pivotally mounted to the seat; the remainder of the seat mounting hardware is not exposed. The bar has two components that are fastened together with bolts through any of a series of longitudinally-arrayed openings (the openings on one of the components are threaded) so that the two components of the bar may be fixed at a selected overall length of the bar in order to support the backrest pad at a height selected by the user. Although the bar is pivotally attached to the transverse tube of the mounting hardware, the backrest is only allowed to move freely in the forward direction in order to allow the backrest to be folded against the driver's seat. However, the backrest can only be folded against the seat when the two components of the bar are bolted together at one of the most extended positions. A set screw is used to set the amount of backward travel allowed to the backrest so that the user can employ a tool to adjust the angle of the backrest to the most comfortable tilt. While the Utopia Built-In Driver Backrest allows the height and the backward travel angle of the backrest pad to be adjusted, tools are required to perform the adjustments.
A Built-In Removable Driver Backrest available from Mustang Motorcycle Products, Inc., Terryville Conn. allows height adjustment or removal of the backrest from the motorcycle without the use of tools. However, the height adjustment is by means of a ball-type detent. Such a detent allows manual adjustment of the backrest height from one position to another, but does not provide positive locking of the backrest in a particular position. Mustang seats are replacement seats and the backrest must be ordered with the replacement seat. It is understood therefore that such a backrest is only available for the Mustang seat and not for use with other seats.